“Of course, we still don't — we have nothing. Even as little as health insurance or as big as it is or as important as it is — we still do not have anything. Most times, we have to go through extra bills for going to an appointment for the children, when it is time for vaccination or any check ups. You just go to risk — going to pay for this healthcare, because of no health insurance. We all know that no health insurance is caused by no birth certificate. So, till now, for the last year and an half, I still don't have my son's birth certificate. No resident permit, no insurance and anything normally for a child to have, it is ‘No,’ for now.”

“You know, as a mother or as an African mother, we try to minimize whatever we can do to keep our child healthy and to see — to see how we can be able to cope with these situations. Then when it comes to the area where it is bigger than us, like the issues of vaccination, which is important, we just take the risk of going there. And, the children's doctor's practice, they won't tell you, ‘No,’ because they know that they are definitely going to send you a bill. So, you get your child vaccinated of any important vaccine that is available, then you wait for the bill to come over for you to foot it. That is how it is. Then the other issues like when the child has been sick, little by little — thank God for the good health we Africans have. We just try to minimize, tell the children, ‘Stay away from cold,’ and every other thing that you can try to keep the child healthy.”

“The baby has not even taken vaccine, they deny the baby the vaccine for more than one year. Everything about the baby stands still. Can you imagine the baby — they give birth — no vaccine, nothing, nothing, because the baby don't have AOK? You go to AOK office and they tell you, ‘And now, you have to go and bring your birth certificate.’ Without birth certificate you don't apply for AOK. Without birth certicate — they don't do anything, nobody will take care of the baby. The baby is just there, you can't take the baby to the hospital. A baby that was born over one year and can't taken any vaccine — nothing, nothing. They deny the baby the vaccine and by now the baby is supposed to stop taking the whole vaccine. Just look up what they have denied the baby. Even if you want to verify the mother, ask and ask. Then check and give the baby what they deserve. It's a baby.”

“The baby, they deny the baby for one year vaccine and now the baby — the baby is sick now. Yeah, I pray every day that the baby should not get sick, because why? There is no document for the baby to go and see the doctor, there is nothing for the baby to go and visit the doctor. In fact, even if you have an appointment, the first thing they ask you is, ‘Where is your AOK?’ And without your birth certificate, you cannot do AOK for your baby. They only give the baby 3 months AOK. Three months down the line, the AOK — the card expire. Now, the baby — the baby will only take the first vaccine. Calculate how many vaccines babies are supposed to take. Just because there is no document. And this is not the only baby suffering from the same thing. Other babies in this Bremen, they are suffering with the same problem. If your baby is sick, you can't take the baby to the hospital, you can't take the baby to anywhere. Providers will ask you, ‘Where is your birth certificate?’ Why? Because they will be ask you, ‘Where is this baby's birth certificate? You don't have it,’ or ‘Where is your baby's AOK?’ You know the shame that will be in your face when they ask you, ‘Where is the baby's AOK?’ You tell them you don't have. And your baby is sick. You know the pain the mother will pass through seeing the baby is sick and she cannot do anything? Seeing that baby is crying — no, nothing she can do. Just because there is no AOK. Whenever the baby is sick, the father have to pay a lot of money before they take — they tell you they'll take care of it. Whenever the baby is in the hospital, they will send a bill to the father to go and pay.”

“It is their right for them to go and take the vaccine. The vaccine is free but you cannot get it because you don't have the card. The vaccine you would ask to pay for. Pay 50 Euro and take the vaccine. All mothers will be happy to pay that even if it was a 100 Euro. All mothers will be happy to pay, because they want to see their children vaccinated. Because later, you don't even know what future will hold for that child, because you denied the baby from now getting that vaccine.”

G: “Maybe put a towel or [claps], a water towel on your baby. You put only paracetamol for this child, because if you take the child to the hospital, you have to pay. Where do I get money to pay? I cannot work. I don't earn good money that I can use to pay, you know. But thank God, these children, they gradually subside. But some people whose kids became worse. Even in our house here, I said, ‘This one is too much, let's call the ambulance. Let the worst happen. If it is billed, we can pay the bill small-small. But let's save the child first!’ They will come and take the child. When they are bringing the bill — the room I was, my next door neighbour — 4600 Euro, that was the bill that was brought to happen because the child was sick. They put her in the hospital for just two days and they send a bill of 4600 Euro to her. She was crying, ‘G, how am I going to do? How do I pay the bill?’ I said, ‘Calm down, thank God that the child is safe, first.’ Until gradually, gradually we were able to get insurance and then — after enough stress, walking up and down, moving from one office to the other, from the House Betreuer and all of them. Before God, we were able to solve some of these problems.” F: “I will come in. That is even the least of things, like people getting a high bill — because this, you can settle. Some of these mothers, their kids will be getting sick and all they will do is to give them antibiotics and at the end of the day before they reach to the hospital, the child's immunity starts to resist the antibiotics. So, these children are put at health risk at a very early age.”

“The consequences of not having a birth certificate for your child, it's so many, because it has to do — it affects the mothers in almost every area. First of all, the health insurance which, we all know, is very important. You can't get health insurance for your child without the birth certificate of that child. Like we all know, it is very dangerous living without health insurance. You can't even access school for that child at the proper age. Not even proper age, without proper age you can't even assess school for that child, because of lack of birth certificate. Then, let's talk about the resident permit for the mother or even the nationality recognition for the children. None of this can be done without the birth certificate. Now, my worries are now: Why has everything got to be connected — why has everything now be connected to this birth certificate? So that was why I mentioned earlier that all organisations are involved in this issue of birth certificate because they have made it a way that nothing functions or nothing is being done without this birth certificate.”

“But apart from health issues — let's leave that aside, because there are a lot of things that are really not good. Let's take, for example, the issue of registering the child in daycare, Krippe or kindergarten. Every child has the right to knowledge or to this assessment. How are you going to do it when you cannot even provide the first documentation the child needs, in his or her life? (...) My child does not have birth certificate which will make my child to be able to go kindergarten or Krippe and if he or she doesn't get assessment to do this, how am I going to start school? How am I going to be free to face my own life? Let's assume, it is not about the issue of school — let's assume I want to work, to fend for myself, to fend for my kids. How am I going to do this when there is no available place made for my children?”

“It is so painful and so frustrating for you to not be able to get what others are getting. You can see your mates going to school — you can't go, because what they will ask you, ‘Where is your Germany permit?’ they will tell you, ‘No, you can't apply for school.’ You are just doing nothing. You can't go out. You don't know whether the police will stop you without the document. You don't even know the next minute — you don't even know what will happen the next minute. Every day, I am just at home, doing nothing. There are many black women facing the same problem. Everyday I sit at home and cry. Crying out my eyes, no tears are coming out because the pain is too much. You can just be at one place, not able to achieve what you are supposed to be achieving. See your mate achieving and just because of one thing only, drawing you back. What is that one thing? Because of your baby birth certificate. What is that one thing? Because of your resident permit. You don't have resident permit, you can't go anywhere. You don't have resident permit, they will tell you, even the six month they are giving you, they will still write it: They are tolerating you for this moment. It's like you can't, it's like you don't even — you can't even sleep. Because the next minute you don't know what is supposed to happen the next minute. Because that Duldung is not a (proper) document. Before I thought it was a document but now I know the meaning: We are (only) tolerating you.”

“A mother that take her children to pass the road, to come to a better land, Germany — it is because she believed that definitely, she will have a way to protect her children. You can all see a mother that can do everything for her children to live. A good mother can sacrifice her happiness just to see her children going to school. I know I have not gone to school, but it is my dream to see my children. Even going to that school, going to wherever, my children will reach that goal. How would I do it when I don't even have document? When I don't even know how might tomorrow — how might tomorrow look like? When I think of all that, I don't even remember why I give birth here.”

“In this part of birth certificate, even everything that has to do with our livelihood every day this birth certificate has even made it like a pindown for us. Because, even without the birth certificate, our children can't go to school, the mothers are being stuck at home, not even to have anything to do with their life. So, there is no improvement because if there is improvement, it will definitely be showing in our daily life.”